Tennis: Success for Statham

New Zealand Davis Cup player Rubin Statham has scored a good win in the first round of the US$50,000 Shanghai Challenger in beating Taipei's Tsung-Hua Yang 3-6 7-6 7-6.

Statham next plays top seed Yen-Hsun Lu, from Taipei, who is ranked No 64 in the world.

In the doubles, Statham and Dan King-Turner were beaten in the first round by the top seeds Sanchai and Sonchat Ratiwatana from Thailand 7-6 7-5.

Meanwhile, New Zealand's Davis Cup opponents India have named their team for the tie in India next week. Although regular players such as Mahesh Bhupathi, Leander Paes and Rohan Bopanna are missing due to a dispute within Indian tennis, the team is still strong, with a top-200 ranked player in the form of Yuki Bhambri.